2023 Annual JazzFanz Current Players Draft - Quarterfinals: Team D vs. Team L

[Elizah Huge]

Team D

PG - De’Aaron Fox / Marcus Smart
SG - Andrew Wiggins / Gary Trent Jr
SF - Kawhi Leonard / DeAndre Hunter
PF - Jerami Grant / Kyle Kuzma
C - Anthony Davis / Robert Williams III

Team L

PG - Luka Doncic / Derrick White
SG - Anthony Edwards
SF - Khris Middleton / Gordon Hayward
PF - Jaden McDaniels / Draymond Green / Chet Holmgren
C - Brook Lopez / Al Horford

Voting is based off of how you think the players will perform in the upcoming season.

 

[LogGrad98]

Still absolutely hate Green as the starting center here. Better as a PF with Lopez starting. But his shooting has fallen off so much he just isn't very effective any more.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Still absolutely hate Green as the starting center here. Better as a PF with Lopez starting. But his shooting has fallen off so much he just isn't very effective any more.

Green ain’t starting in this matchup… starting Lopez here. Gonna drop him into the middle as AD can’t shoot anymore and will limp to the locker room when he has to bang with Brook for a quarter or two.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Team D works preseason on paper just like the Clips do... if Kawhi is healthy (he never is) then its good... but then you combine it with AD (who is nicknamed street clothes) on top of it. Then you back them up with Robert Williams who played hurt and had the "rush back" meniscus surgery... dude might be a 40 game guy who limps around the court the rest of his career. I guess if we turn off injuries the team would be real good. In a mid season vote this team likely is without at least one of its best players maybe both. Fox is also only good every other year... and last year he was good.

 

[LogGrad98]

The problem is if team D can get everyone healthy they are just so strong. Will be a very tough out in a 7 game series.

 

[Thee Jazz Fan]

Team D works preseason on paper just like the Clips do... if Kawhi is healthy (he never is) then its good... but then you combine it with AD (who is nicknamed street clothes) on top of it. Then you back them up with Robert Williams who played hurt and had the "rush back" meniscus surgery... dude might be a 40 game guy who limps around the court the rest of his career. I guess if we turn off injuries the team would be real good. In a mid season vote this team likely is without at least one of its best players maybe both. Fox is also only good every other year... and last year he was good.

This isn’t a regular season it’s a playoff scenario you just assume they are healthy that’s why huge mentioned doing a vote at mid season and seasons end.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Basically comes down to Kawhi healthy. If he is, then D is clearly superior. If not it's probably goes the other way.

 

[Thee Jazz Fan]

Basically comes down to Kawhi healthy. If he is, then D is clearly superior. If not it's probably goes the other way.

His coach already confirmed he’s good to go for training camp

 

[Fosto]

His coach already confirmed he’s good to go for training camp

Doesn't mean much. He has plenty of time for his annual season-ending injury before the playoffs.

 

[KqWIN]

I like the construction of team D better, it's one of the best put together teams IMO, but I wouldn't fault anyone for being concerned about health with Kawhi, AD, and Timelord.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

This isn’t a regular season it’s a playoff scenario you just assume they are healthy that’s why huge mentioned doing a vote at mid season and seasons end.

Nah... those guys can be healthy to start a playoff series and I expect them to miss at least 1-2 games each. Hell this time a year even Ben Simmons is healthy. Those dudes are broken.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Also... most of the year Kawhi didn't look like Kawhi... injuries and aging have taken some of the heat off his fastball.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

I mean AD and Timelord get hurt at shoot around... then you rolling with Kuzma at the 5?

 

[KqWIN]

Also... most of the year Kawhi didn't look like Kawhi... injuries and aging have taken some of the heat off his fastball.

Eh, I don't know about that. Kawhi was very typical Kawhi last year. He was incredible when healthy, but just wasn't healthy. If "most of the year" means his 15 I would understand, but most of the year he was actually cooking.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Basically comes down to Kawhi healthy. If he is, then D is clearly superior. If not it's probably goes the other way.

How many times in the last few years have we had healthy Kawhi for a full playoff series? If that's what it comes down to then its obviously going my way.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Eh, I don't know about that. Kawhi was very typical Kawhi last year. He was incredible when healthy, but just wasn't healthy. If "most of the year" means his 15 I would understand, but most of the year he was actually cooking.

Pre AS he was 22/6/4 which is good but its off his prime... the defense was other worldly in his prime... he looked good but not other worldly. The on/off stuff seems to support this. He can still be really awesome even if he has lost a little bit... because the bar was very high.

He went to prime Kawhi in the playoffs for 2 games... but predicably broke down. I don't think he can do what he used to over a sustained period. Even in the Toronto year he was dragging his leg by the EC finals. To assume you would get anything near prime Kawhi for a 7 game series is a huge assumption imo.

I might lose this round preseason, but midyear when we run it back I'm confident building a team on 2 huge injury risks is gonna hurt Thee... theoretically it works.

 

[KqWIN]

Pre AS he was 22/6/4 which is good but its off his prime... the defense was other worldly in his prime... he looked good but not other worldly. The on/off stuff seems to support this. He can still be really awesome even if he has lost a little bit... because the bar was very high.

He went to prime Kawhi in the playoffs for 2 games... but predicably broke down. I don't think he can do what he used to over a sustained period. Even in the Toronto year he was dragging his leg by the EC finals. To assume you would get anything near prime Kawhi for a 7 game series is a huge assumption imo.

I might lose this round preseason, but midyear when we run it back I'm confident building a team on 2 huge injury risks is gonna hurt Thee... theoretically it works.

Kawhi has a pretty high standard, but he was freaking awesome last year when playing. It wasn't two playoff games, in his 52 total regular season games (including the "bad" first 15 games) he was still 24/6/4 with career high TS%. Also still incredible by adjusted +/- numbers. Number 8 in RAPM last year and tied for 4th in on/off Raptor. From the beginning of January he was 27/7/4 on 65%. Dude is still one of the best players on the planet when he's on the court. I get the injury stuff, and if you want to weigh that heavily to each their own. There's no way to perfectly do that. But I don't think saying that Kawhi did not look like Kawhi is a good argument. He had a slow start when he was in and out of the lineup while heavily load managing, but when he began to play regularly he was one of the best players in the league no question.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Kawhi has a pretty high standard, but he was freaking awesome last year when playing. It wasn't two playoff games, in his 52 total regular season games (including the "bad" first 15 games) he was still 24/6/4 with career high TS%. Also still incredible by adjusted +/- numbers. Number 8 in RAPM last year and tied for 4th in on/off Raptor. From the beginning of January he was 27/7/4 on 65%. Dude is still one of the best players on the planet when he's on the court. I get the injury stuff, and if you want to weigh that heavily to each their own. There's no way to perfectly do that. But I don't think saying that Kawhi did not look like Kawhi is a good argument. He had a slow start when he was in and out of the lineup while heavily load managing, but when he began to play regularly he was one of the best players in the league no question.

I agree… just don’t think he was all the way up to his standard for most of the year. When he can get solid injury luck for a sustained period he has some good runs… but that’s been the challenge. He’s still great… like one of the best… at his peak though it was more like “is he the best player in the league?” That’s all I’m trying to say really. I’m not sure he has as high of a peak as he has in the past. No one is arguing he isn’t great… you can be great and lose a little bit and still be great.

 

[HermanG]

Based on what I saw last year Kawhi is not the same guy he was 5 years ago, even if healthy.

If so, then team L has the two best players on the court. Ant might be the best guard in the NBA next year, if you count both offense and defense.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Based on what I saw last year Kawhi is not the same guy he was 5 years ago, even if healthy.

If so, then team D has the two best players on the court. Ant might be the best guard in the NBA next year, if you count both offense and defense.

I’m more bullish on the second round of this exercise in mid season… have several dudes who will be regarded much higher once the season starts… Ant, Jaden, Chet. People’s eyes gonna open.